"The quintessential Mega Man game is perhaps the most overrated Mega Man game"
Like most fans, I love Mega Man 2. No ifs, ands or butts about it, Mega Man 2 single-handedly spearheaded my interest in the blue bomber and video games in general. That’s a tall order for any game to fill, yet as simple of a joy as the game is even today, there's something my ever-evolving self has to ask, has Mega Man 2 been hurt by the never-ending hype?
I ask this question because over the years I've seen other gamers continuously put other landmark titles I grew up with on unrealistically high pedestals. Final Fantasy VII may have been great adventure, but does a sealed black-boarder copy of the game really warrant four hundred dollars? Xenogears may have had a psychotically layered narrative that essentially turned it a playable anime, but was the game really perfect? Metal Gear Solid put you in the ever convincing shoes of a professional killer but can its aging gameplay match the cinematic quality of its story? Castlevania: Symphony of the Night may have some of the best level design out there, but was it hurt by the cascade of similar games that followed? As endless as these kinds of questions are to the people that played them, it's the rampant, blind fandom that ignores the obvious that makes one wonder how damaging such views can be.
Damaging or not, even after replaying Mega Man 2 for the first time in the last few years, I can't even begin to tear this game down. Sure, it's rather lax in the difficulty department, but that's an area I've never been too concerned with when it comes to games in general. Even running through the game like I was on auto-pilot wasn't enough hurt it, which leads me to wonder how one could even begin to take down a game like Mega Man 2? A stake dipped in holy water? My guess is a good as any, but I wouldn’t count on it. It probably just rise from the dead like Dracula.
CONCLUSION:
Regardless of my ranting, Mega Man 2 is the hallmark everyone remembers it being. Despite my attempt to approach the game from safe vantage point to avoid the disappointment that sometimes comes with reminiscence, my worries evaporated quicker than a snow cone on a hot summer day. Relieved as I am that the game is more-or-less timeless, I'm still uncomfortable tooting the game's horn, something I'm not afraid to do for the also stellar Mega Man X4.
"Only hardcore Mega Man fans should invest in the original"
The original. It's needless to say that every video game series has to start somewhere. For Mega Man, the beginning was in December of 1987 on the Nintendo Entertainment System. As easy as it is for one to slap down a date and call it a starting point, when did Mega Man become a household name, when did it really take off? Look no further than Mega Man 2 and Mega Man 3.
Why am talking about the immediate sequels when it's the original that's on the table here? When dissecting a game, it's good to start with a dose of reality. Most people (Capcom included) would probably have a hard time saying that the original Mega Man was a complete success. In fact, the creation of the superior Mega Man 2 was considered a "rogue effort" by the developers involved, a project that was far from being on the front burner. So in going from one game that almost never had a sequel to a game that now has nine, where does the original Mega Man fit in beyond being a point of origin?
To get to the bottom of that question, one has to at least focus on the first three games. As odd as this may sound in this day and age, Mega Man's initial adventure was undoubtedly unique. I'm not talking about things like having six bosses instead of the standard eight or the lack of energy tanks, but the impersonal, industrial feel the stages. Other elements, like gun turret traps, the drab color palette, uneven difficulty and lack of support characters fueled the feeling that you were truly alone, that you were charged with terminating six humanoid robots with little to no explanation. All you knew was that they had to be destroyed.
This begs the question: what is the original Mega Man known for? It's collection of robot masters? It's insane crash damage when fighting the Yellow Devil? It's somewhat peculiar and forgettable level design? These are all good answers, but it's only one them - the game's cast of robot masters - that are truly memorable. Obviously, the game's music goes hand and hand with this, but beyond these simplistic yet loveable characters there's nothing here the sequels don't or can't do better.
CONCLUSION:
This is why the original Mega Man is for the true-blue Mega Man fan only; casual fans can get by without or have a more engrossing time with one of its sleeker and much more welcoming successors like Mega Man 2 or 6. If anything, a NES cart of Mega Man is more of a trophy than a tangible playing experience, which is not exactly the greatest reason to buy something in the first place.
When it comes to TV, there aren't too many shows I follow anymore. Men's been one of the chosen programs I'll make time for, but now that the Charlie Sheen era is obviously over I would just like to grab the eight or so seasons of the show that currently exist and call it a day. After immensely enjoying seasons one and two on DVD, I picked up season three even though it was a little more expensive than the previous seasons. After watching it I wish I had waited for a price drop. To put it plainly, season three of Two and Half Men is good, but some of the story arcs are insipid.
The trouble beings in "That Voodoo That I Do Do" picks up in "Humiliation is a Visual Medium" through ""My Tongue is Meat" and finally ends with "Arguments for the Quickie" and "That Pistol-Packin' Hermaphrodite." In case you don't catch the connection between those episodes, they're the ones centered on Charlie's "no-sex" relationship with Mia. Introduce a terrible character and just watch how terrible things get. I'm not saying there isn't any fun to be had in these episodes, but the bad starts to outweigh the good even with the dimwitted Kandi entering the picture.
Adding to the negatives are boorish guest appearances by Cloris Leachman ("Madame and Her Special Friend") and Jon Lovitz ("The Unfortunate Little Schnauser") that only serve to annoy and make one reflect back on and wish for the brilliant Charlie, Jake and Alan-based episodes that start off the set. If anything, season three tries a bit too hard and over complicates a simple formula that hasn't hit its expiration date yet. Generally, the problematic episodes are fine enough when seen on TV where they don't play in order and quick succession of one another but in an environment where they do their weaknesses are quickly punished.
CONCLUSION:
If you love Two and a Half Men, then you're going to buy all the seasons regardless of what you read, but I can't lie to myself about the backwards step season three takes when trying to make its characters more complex. All I can hope for is season four fairs better in package form than this and actually comes with an episode guide.
"At least one set from 1993 has retained some value..."
As a on again/off again card collector, it's been disheartening to see the vast majority of cards I collected in the early to mid 90's end up being worth next to nothing due to over production. The bottom fell out of many of these 1993 sets (does anyone remember when a set of 1993 Stadium Club or Topps Black Gold went for $200.00? - I can, and they didn't even contain a Jeter rookie!) like Fleer and Topps. While it can still be entertaining to open $10~12 bargain basement wax boxes for the heck of it, Score Baseball is one of the best boxes you can break from this year.
I mainly ordered the two boxes I ordered to find a Jeter rookie or two for my father for Father's Day. I got one per box, but that wasn't the only reason for my purchase. I've always liked the 1993 design; it's simple and clean and the cards in The Franchise subset have retained their value to a respectable degree over the years. You'll end up pulling about two of these per box, and it's super hard to pull a great player (the best person I got was Frank Thomas, who I still have a soft spot for but whose cards aren't worth what they use to be) but the thrill of the hunt can't be beat.
CONCLUSION:
Unfortunately, the allure of this set is often offset by the price. Boxes aren't exactly common like the vast majority of sets from 1993, so you'll have to ante up if you want to get your hands on them. Still, I'd rather fork over forty dollars to get a box of old cards with players I'm familiar with than current cards with players I could care less about. Anyway, totally recommended, just keep an eye out for the deals that crop up every so often.
"One terrible movie, one I happen to be infatuated with...."
Ever since my childhood, I've held an interest in extreme weather. Not enough to turn it into a career per say, but enough to see the occasional thunderstorm as more than a mere inconvenience. Holding such a view, my slobbering love affair with Twister would seem a forgone conclusion. No lie, I flat-out love the movie and can easily muster multiple viewings in a single day. Still, despite being a Twister junkie, there are several things about this movie I cannot make excuses for.
While I wouldn't want to change any member of the cast, I think everyone can admit that Bill Paxton is a terrible actor. From classics like "Dorothy, you took her you damn thief!" to "Jo, things go wrong, you can't explain it you can't predict it!" Paxton is hysterically stiff at times. As "entertaining" as that can be, this allows the other members of Jo's storm chasing team (like Philip Seymour Hoffman's Dusty) to steal some well deserved spot light every once in a while. Another blessing is how the special effects and action bury a truly predictable love story; a necessary evil that plays out by the numbers. As impressive as the special effects are in general sense, the problems encountered during the shoot can be easily deciphered by the viewer through the movie's myriad of errors. The sidewinder's on the right side of the road, so the rational thing to do would be to turn left at the last intersection? Watch the movie enough times and the spotty editing becomes a running gag in and of itself.
CONCLUSION:
If you're looking for movie that shows Mother Nature at her worst, Twister is going to be at the top of your list. It's flawed, loud and noisy but it's entertaining. Thankfully, that's all the matters.
"Sounds like someone has a case of the Mondays, melancholy Mondays that is...."
Like many of the bands I was introduced to during the height of my interest in the European heavy metal scene, Sethian's an outfit I ran across because of their link to Nightwish. Just as guitarists Emppu Vuorinen and Jani Liimatainen introduced me to Altaria in 2003, drummer Jukka Nevalainen would introduce me to Sethian's "Into the Silence." However, unlike Altaria, Sethian has become a one-shot deal since many of its members are involved with other projects. As disappointing as that may seem, it may be for the best. But why? The answer lies within the album's various ins-and-outs.
The first problem the album encounters is while each track has something to offer, there really isn't a song that begs to be the opener. "Nothing Is True" is a fine tune, but the opening riff can't fill the bill. This is mostly due to the fact "Too Far Gone" and "Magdalene" open in near-identical fashion, systematically paring down the variety. This is an area Into the Silence isn't too comfortable with, at least at first. As instrumental as it is for an album to forge an identity within the first tracks, the first five tracks find the band getting a bit too comfortable with their sound. I can't fault great tracks like "Dream Domain" and "Love Under Will" with any individual sins, but they're simply part of a larger pattern that's a bit too predictable.
Thankfully, the sixth track "Purity of Sorrow" and its follow-up "Dead Reckoning" topples this monopoly even though they aren't as immediately accessible. It quickly becomes apparent how important tracks such as these are and how top heavy the album would be without them. The remainder the album is a bit more balanced when it comes to juggling the two types of tracks although it's hard to take the closers "Call of the Wild" and "Into the Silence" over the stilted speed of "Blood Calling" or the haunting presence in "Heavens May Fall."
Into the Silence's final strengths and weakness revolve around Tapio Wilska's vocals and lyrics. If the morose direction of the cover art didn't clue you in, Into the Silence is built upon a rather somber soundscape. This isn't the kind of album one listens to when they're in a super good mood, but when they're a little down and out. As penetrating as Wilska's voice can be when tackling the darker topics touched upon here, I don't think I'd want another album of comparable material. Some things can be built upon to make a brand and some things stand better as a solitary experience. Into the Silence is something that falls in the later category despite how enjoyable it can be.
CONCLUSION:
Anyway, negatives aside I'm glad I picked up and brushed off Into the Silence out of the vast backlog of music I've heard throughout the years. It's not the kind of album that's always going to fit the moment but it definitely hits the spot when its melancholy melodies mirror your own. Overall Score: 8/10
In this world, there are few things as comforting as a familiar old saying. From classics like “a penny saved is a penny earned” to “the original was better” there is nothing that makes one feel more at ease when life proves these ideas true time and time again. Except when it doesn’t. I can’t even begin to count the times where the line “it’s better to burn out than fade away” has become the utter bane of a band or video game series that’s outlived its usefulness. Still, when it comes to video games, there may be an even more abhorrent saying: “imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.” Seriously, what could be flattering about a competitor leeching off the success of another developer’s product? Such distain aside, one of the greatest examples of such thievery has to revolve around id Software’s Doom and the arrival of what were eventually dubbed as “Doom clones.” As quickly as it started, generic takes on id’s spectacular space shooter popped up from every corner of the world, everyone and their mother vying for a piece of the action. Many of these games didn’t deserve a sliver of the praise that was paid towards the original, but there was one game that made a name for itself: Duke Nukem 3D.
As a child of the genre, Duke Nukem 3D didn't rewrite the book on first person shooters. While the engine behind the game offered some basic enhancements over its forbearers, the real driving force behind Duke’s success was savvy marketing. It isn’t hard to believe that Duke Nukem owed more to its raunchy sense of humor than any other element. So, as with any successful product, it was only natural that the game would see life on the current consoles of the time, one of the most notable being the PlayStation version. Unfortunately, as famous as Duke’s antics were, Total Meltdown wouldn’t become known for the right reasons. So what is Total Meltdown known for? Total Meltdown is one of the worst – if not the worst - port of Duke Nukem 3D in existence. Still, dramatics aside, is the experience salvageable? Yes and no.
While most would think the low-res graphics and sagging frame rate would be the most likely place to start when tackling the problems present in Total Meltdown, what’s even more pressing are the controls. As expected, there’s an immense amount of pain to be experienced in trading down from the keyboard and mouse to a controller. In an attempt to accommodate players the best it can, Meltdown offers up three different configurations, although in hindsight it’s more like two. Layouts “Nukem1” and “Nukem2” are essentially the same since they turn a maneuver like circle strafing into an impossible art. The third option, “Doomed,” corrects this problem by getting the strafe commands off the square/x d-pad combination and back on the shoulder buttons where they belong. The raw part of the deal is this ends up complicating the aiming controls even further, making enemies like RPV’s and automated turrets difficult to deal with. In other words, there’s no quick-fix when it comes to the controls; in order to gain better access to one thing you’ll always have to give up quick access to something else.
Disappointing as the control issues are, there's also the conflict between Duke’s weaponry and the alien scum they’re used against. When it comes to weapons in general, the game seems to have the bases covered: you have a rapid-fire pistol, a shotgun, a machine gun, a grenade launcher and more. Clear cut as the weapon selection appears to be, trouble sets in ever so slightly. The first ill-omen is the low capacities on the shotgun and grenade launcher; fifty and two hundred rounds for these weapons never feels like enough, especially when one considers how often they're used. Complicating things even further are the enemies and inability of certain guns to suppress return fire. When dealing with an enemy like an Enforcer, the game usually wants the player to retaliate with a be-all end-all solution like the grenade launcher; the problem is that these encounters usually take place at close range, nullifying any rational use of the launcher and allowing the ensuing volley of gunfire to put a big dent in one's health.
The game somewhat bounces back with its level design. It never ceases to amaze me how excellent the maps are in these early 2.5D shooters. Total Meltdown's no exception, but one has to ask themselves if the sacrifices made to keep these layouts intact were worth it, especially when one considers the fact the PlayStation version of Doom made all kinds of edits to it's levels and still offered up an enjoyable experience. As nice as the new wrinkles the Build engine brings to the fold are, these improvements often kneel the before the problems they create. Jumping through tripwires in a first person viewpoint is an exercise in trial and error until the player “feels out” Duke’s dimensions and crush hazards are another area where survival seems completely random, making them the most cumbersome obstacles in the game. Its flawed elements like these and the shrinky-dink/mouse parts that’ll make one appreciate the ability to (ever so slowly) save their game on the fly.
Terrible as these experiences may be, perhaps the most disappointing aspect about Total Meltdown - and Duke Nukem 3D in general – is how the game’s defining sense of humor fails to save it. I can see how this was the controversial, edgy kind of game hormonal teens hid away from their parents, but in world where yesterday’s sex and violence is nothing to what's currently available, it’s comes off as a cheap prefix to a experience that has enough going for it. To put it another way, while one could see the hellish depictions in Doom being used for shock value, they were necessary in drawing the player into the game’s simple narrative. This fails to be the case with Duke’s babes and toilet humor. I’m sure I’d have a completely different viewpoint had I played the game in it's prime, but I didn't so there's little chance of this element ever becoming anything more than window dressing.
In wrapping up what this take on Duke Nukem 3D has to offer, there’s one last connection to discuss. That connection? That Total Meltdown is the PlayStation equivalent of SNES Doom. Sure, the game may look a lot better, but with both games doing everything in their power to retain their original level structure its an apt comparison. Another, perhaps more striking similarity is that both ports offer up enhanced soundtracks that take advantage of their respective console’s sound capabilities. As much as I liked Robert Prince’s tunes in the PC version of Doom, I liked them even more after the Super Nintendo’s sound processor was put behind them. The same holds true here, Prince and Lee Jackson’s tunes receiving an impressive upgrade by Mark Knight. Music easily comes off as Total Meltdown’s best element yet it does little to aid the experience when placed side by side with the game's shortcomings.
CONCLUSION:
As a game, it’s not hard to see why Total Meltdown has acquired its title as the lousiest port of Duke Nukem 3D. Aardvark may deserve some credit for shoehorning the game onto the console as well as they did, but after experiencing what lies within most won’t feel so generous, especially if they’ve partook of what the PlayStation version of Doom has to offer. That said, the one thing that should be kept in mind is even though Total Meltdown resources are strained, it’s still a reflection of the original - warts and all.
"The quintessential Mega Man game is perhaps the most overrated Mega Man game"
